A Prankster's Life Undone
by Mel Fisher
Summary: The Sequel to Prankster's Paridise: Mel has never been in love or been loved before. Will she let George ibe the first to try?
1. Default Chapter

A Prankster's Life Undone  
  
Disclaimer: Like in the prequel, Mel's all that I own...  
  
Spoiler: Parts of the 5th book.  
  
Chapter One: Prologue  
  
What do call it?" Fred asked no one in particular.  
  
"How about Weasley's Wonks and Zonks?" George answered.  
  
Fred and Mel stared at him and started laughing hysterically. "Well, I'd like to see you two come up with something better." he said. They both stopped laughing immediately.  
  
"I bet Lee could think of something," Fred said glaring at George and Mel. George glared back at him and Mel blushed, becoming the same color as the Weasley's hair.  
  
"Oh! I have an idea! How about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" she looked at the twins sitting across from her.  
  
Fred raised an eyebrow at her and said, "You know, that actually has a nice ring to it!" Fred jumped up and said, "It'll look great right next to Honey Dukes candy shop!" He ran up the stairs toward the boy's dormitory.  
  
When he was gone George turned to Mel, who had picked up a book and began to read. "Speaking of hogsmeade, tomorrow's a hogsmeade weekend."  
  
"Yea, it is." she said, without looking up from her book.  
  
"And it also happens to be Valentines Day." he said, hoping that she was getting his point.  
  
"And?" she asked, looking at him over the top of the book.  
  
He sighed, "I was wondering if you would go with me." he said matter-of- factly.  
  
She closed the book and stood up. "I don't do Valentine's Day." she said walking past him and up the stairs to the girl's dorms.  
  
He watched her walk up the stairs in disbelief and followed after a few moments. 


	2. Happy Valentine's Day

Chapter Two: Happy Valentine's Day  
  
"How can you not do Valentine's Day?" George asked his brother as they walked into Honey Dukes Sweet Shop.  
  
Fred shrugged, "Maybe it's a muggle thing."  
  
"I doubt it, muggles love Valentine's Day. Do you think it's me?" George said seriously.  
  
"Maybe, 'cause Mel's right there," Fred said, nodding towards the windows.  
  
George quickly turned to the window and, sure enough, Mel was walking into Zonko's, holding her hat against the brisk February wind.  
  
George's jaw dropped and he said, "I thought she didn't want to come. Maybe it is me."  
  
"Well why don't you go ask her." Fred said, pushing him toward the door.  
  
As George walked into Zonko's, Mel was looking at an invisibility clock, displayed in a glass case on the far wall of the store. "Hey Mel." George said, slipping his arm around her waist.  
  
As soon as she felt the George's hand on her hip, Mel spun around and knocked it away from her.  
  
"George, oh my gosh. Don't startle me like that." she said, pushing an auburn curl away from her face.  
  
George looked at her, shocked at her sudden reaction. "I'm sorry. I thought you weren't coming down today. I was just happy to see that you changed your mind."  
  
Mel smiled shyly and said. "I just needed a few things, some more ink and quills, stuff like that."  
  
"Well now that your here, why don't we go for a butter beer or something." George said.  
  
Mel looked down at the floor and said, "Well, I really should be getting back, and I'm not exactly dressed to be out in this weather." She pushed past him and out the door.  
  
George quickly followed her out the door and grabbed her hand. "Mel, what's the matter?"  
  
Mel pulled her hand away and began fiddling with a heart shaped locket hanging around her neck.  
  
"Nothing is the matter George, I just have to get back. I have charm's homework to finish."  
  
"Ok, I'll see you back in the common room then." he said, hugging her.  
  
Mel moved away as he tried to hug her and looked around quickly before turning to leave.  
  
"Mel," George said quietly as she walked away.  
  
Mel looked back at him and said, "I'll see you in the common room." 


	3. Understanding

Chapter 3:

Understanding

George just couldn't figure it out. It must be him. Did she not want to be seen with a Weasley? That hadn't stopped her at the Yule ball. Fred had bought him a butter beer but he had just sat quietly, racking his brain for a reason why she wouldn't let him even give her a hug. He had walked back to the Hogwarts, feeling completely rejected.

As the brothers were walking up the path back to the castle, George finally said, with the air of someone who had given up, "I don't understand!"

"She told you she didn't do Valentine's Day," said Fred, shaking his head, "Maybe she's had bad Valentine's Day's in the past."

"Are you saying that I brought back bad memories?" George muttered.

Fred smirked, "Yes, and I think you need to talk to her about it." After a moment he added, almost to himself, "I love being the sensible one."

George glared at him and threw a snowball at the back of his head.

Back in the common room, Mel sat before the fire, gazing at it mindlessly, the embers reflected in her hazel eyes. She didn't want George to come bursting into the common room and start asking questions about her antics and she didn't want to have to walk away from him again. Luckily, for the first time in his life, George Weasley didn't act like George Weasley.

George had planned what he was going to say the rest of the walk back to common room, walking slower then normal as he entered the Entrance Hall. He stopped and took a deep breath before he passed through the portrait hole, seeing Mel sitting in front of the fire.

"Please don't get mad" he thought, as he took the seat next to her. "Mel, can we talk?" he asked quietly.

Mel looked up from the fire and stared at him sadly. With some effort, she nodded.

"You know I love you, so..." he stopped short, seeing her biting her lip and looking nervous. She stood quickly and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry George, I really am but..." she shook her head and sighed, "I can't talk about this, not right now, ok?" Without waiting for a reply, she walked briskly towards the stairs.

George wasn't going to just let her walk away again. He bounded after her and ran up the stairs towards the girls' dormitory, which quickly vanished causing him to fall in a heap at the bottom. After a few seconds, Mel appeared over him, wiping tears from her eyes. She sat on the floor, helping him into a sitting position.

"When I was eleven, my parents kicked me out of my house. They didn't want me to come to Hogwarts. You see, my uncle, he's the security guard at the ministry and, well, my parents always thought it was so awful. So when I got my letter, they were appalled. They were just going to throw it away and pretend it never arrived, but I told them that I really wanted to come. We had this huge fight and they told me I could go, but I was never welcome back. I grabbed everything I had and left the house crying. About 10 minutes later, Dumbledore had picked me up and brought me to my uncle's house." Her voice broke off and she began to sob.

George pulled her close to him and began to stroke her hair softly. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm never gonna leave you like that, I promise."

She looked at him and said, through a sob, "The last thing I heard them say was, 'You know we love you'. I shut the door before they could say but. After that I never allowed myself to get close to anyone because I know I'll end up getting left all alone again."

George took her hands and made her look him in the eyes. "I promise I'm never going to leave."

A/N: Wow that only took me...3 and a half months. Well it was really hard to write and I decided to change the plot a little and it was done in an hour. I hope you enjoyed my breakthrough from a 3 month writer's block.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Life at Hogwarts was being destroyed from the inside out. Everything was falling apart around the students, but Mel didn't really care. She was the happiest that she had been in...well in forever. Being happy made it easier to ignore the destructing taking place around her.

"I can not stand this anymore! We have to get out of here George!" Fred yelled as he burst into the common room one rather dreary afternoon.

George looked at him. "Oh, I hadn't noticed! She won't give us back our brooms then?"

"Give them back! Ha! She's keeping them forever. We are, 'to hazardous to play the game of quidditch ever again. People could be hurt.' She's gonna be hurt soon if she doesn't get her big fat..."

"Whoa! For all you know she could be having the house elves spy on us! You could get yourself arrested," Mel said, breaking him off and laughing as he began to turn a rather garish shade of red.

Fred stared at her. "You find this funny? She just likes you 'cause your uncle flirts with her at the ministry!"

"Oh, now we don't need to start insulting people!" George said, breaking up what he was sure would end with Fred getting the snot beaten out of him.

Mel shrugged. "You know, he's right. She loves that stupid place. She likes anyone related to it in any way," Fred raised his eyebrow at her. "Ok, well everyone but the people that piss her off. Which means the Weasley's."

"Well it's either gonna be her or us!" said Fred, storming off toward the stairs with George in toe.

_You can only fake a smile for so long, Mel_ thought as she watched Fred and George talk of there plans to escape as they walked towards the dormitory stairs and disappear around the corner. When they were out of sight her smile dissolved into a fit of tears.


End file.
